words & image // Zack Schlemmer
For no other reason than that it's totally awesome, the Kicks on Cards Card of the Week is Larry Johnson spotted back at UNLV in the Nike Air Max 90. In his days before Converse and "Grandmama" with the Charlotte Hornets, young LJ was a beast on the college court with the infamous UNLV Runnin' Rebels and coach Jerry Tarkanian. Along with Greg Anthony and Stacey Augmon, Larry Johnson wore Nikes like the Air Force STS on the way to the 1990 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. Here we catch him off the court for a photo shoot in a pair of original black and white Air Max 90 runners, also with a dope UNLV Nike warm-up suit.
We all love LJ's "Grandmama" commercials and signature shoe line with Converse, but it's fun to think about what might have happened if Nike opted to sign Larry to a shoe deal after college. [Read LJ talking about how Nike turned him down over at SLAM Online.] Whatever might have become of Larry Johnson with Nike probably would have been pretty good, but I can't imagine it being better than Grandmama! What do you think? Are you satisfied with the sneaker history Converse and LJ created, or would you rather have seen him continue with Nike?
